diy mama

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garland

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Fall Decor Ideas

I’m staying warm inside today because it’s definitely fall according to the cold dark rainy day outside. I am staying very busy with crafts and I have my favorite pink nail polish with pink glitter on to keep me happy. I’ve seen so many roundups of fall decor this year but they’re very country/burlap/twine. I think that style is cute but it isn’t what I’m loving right now. I wanted to do a roundup of a few of my favorite modern/fun/whimsical fall decor ideas. I currently have a few sets of mums and some leaf garland on the craftsman posts on the porch but I’d love to incorporate these into the interior of my home!

fall leaf garland

These felt leaves have been circling the internet for a few years and I always think they are so darling. I love the chunky yarn used to string the leaves together. Felt always reminds me of the weather getting colder so I think it’s the perfect material for a fall garland.

chalk-board-fall

I’m in love with this Fall themed chalk wall Andrea made for her family! She changes the wall according to the fun activities they want to do during that season. I think it’d be a great way to check off and remember some of the fun that you’ve had with your family! Also, if the weather is looking beautiful you can just look at the wall to figure out what to do that day!

painted-pumpkinsI love how Meeha Meeha painted these sleepy pumpkins! They’re such a darling little family. It’d be fun to have each member of your family paint their own. When I was younger we’d hollow out gords, paint them and put a shellac over it so we could use them year after year.

painted-leavesI’d stumbled upon Alisa’s blog and fell in love with her style! I think this painted leaf garland is super crafty/bohemian and could be painted to match your decor. It’d even be fun to have your kids help you collect leaves and paint with you! Keeping this one pinned for when Sophie’s older!

brad-pumpkin-1Since I’m a bit obsessed with all things confetti and sprinkles, I fell head over heels for this push pin confetti pumpkin Victoria made. I love the happy dots on the white pumpkin. I’m a fan of using colors other than red, orange, yellow and brown for decorating during the fall so this pumpkin would be a  happy addition. You could even do gold brads on a white pumpkin to chic it up a bit!

Fall Pumpkin Flower Arrangement

Adding some fresh cut flowers in a styrofoam pumpkin is one of my favorite centerpieces for the Fall season! This Fall Floral Arrangement is also one of the cheapest an easiest ways to make a themed arrangement that is good from September through November!

Are you a fall decorator or do you just wait until Halloween and go all out? What about your style? Traditional or do you like to add a bit of whimsy and DiY to your holiday decorating? What should I make first? I’d really like to make one of these while Sophie’s gone this week. Happy Fall!

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DIY Fall Decor

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Fall Leaf Garland

Fall Leaf Garland- I’ve noticed a lot of people saying they don’t decorate for fall because Halloween is right around the corner or the decorations are not their style. I say fall deserves it’s own decorations! When I think ‘Fall’, I smell pumpkin spice lattes and bonfires. I hear cheers during football games and the crunch of dried leaves. I feel the snuggles of a warm blanket while reading a favorite book and possibly sipping warmed cider. Guys, fall is awesome and it deserves it’s own decorations.

I made the most simple felt leaf garland that is super easy to customize by changing the colors to your favorite fall pallet. This fall leaf garland can be easily customized to suit your style.

This craft could not be easier or cuter! I love how happy these colors play together. These colors were inspired by a jewel toned hat I’d gotten one year. I always buy amazing hats but never wear them. Maybe this year will be the year of hat wearing!

instagramgarlandIf you follow me on Instagram, you’d have already seen these from last year but I wanted to be sure to do a tutorial this year.
materialsMaterials Needed:

  • Felt of your color choice
  • A piece of sturdy paper (for leaf stencil)
  • Scissors
  • Chunky Yarn
  • Tape

cutThe first step is to cut out your leaf pattern and trace it onto your felt. Use fabric scissors for an easier cutting experience. Once all your leaves are cut, fold each leaf in half (hotdog style) and snip little holes down the middle of the leaf. I would start in the middle and cut 4 to the right and 3 to the left allowing my thread to start and finish on the same side of the leaf after it was threaded. I suggest to do small snips and make them larger if necessary to make it look like you really sewed the yarn through the leaves.

sewOnce the leaf has it’s holes, use a piece of tape to make an aglet on the end of the yarn for easier threading. String all the leaves on your yarn and hang! Seriously. It’s that easy!

mantle-garland

triangleI also did the same method to make a mini garland for our family command center but cut the leaves in half.

pushpinpumpkinThe felt leaf garland was extremely simple to make but this bradded foam pumpkin was the easiest and fastest decoration I’ve ever made. I love his happy polka dots. It’s a nice change of pace from the orange/red/yellow standard fall decor I see in stores.

office-garlandI used 7 pieces of felt from the store which allotted several garlands. I even had enough to decorate my blog/craft desk! What’d you guys think? Simple enough? What colors would you use to match your fall decor? I think this would be a fun craft to do with your kids! Maybe use it as a count down or add a leaf for every book they read in the fall!

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fall leaf garland

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1st Birthday Party Ideas

Happy Happy Friday! I’m super pumped about this Friday Finds post because I got to do it around 1st Birthday Party Ideas for Sophie’s Birthday in two months. Pinterest is INSANE with making it look like you have to do a super massive party for a child’s first birthday. The ideas I saw on there were overwhelming! I decided I wanted to try to DiY her party using supplies we already have. Once I got a better idea of what I wanted her party to look like, I realized I will have to buy a few lot of balloons and some floral pins but I’d say that’s pretty good for me (usually I spend a bit too much on birthday decorations.) I decided I wanted Sophie’s theme to be happy/fun/colorful just like she is. She has the biggest personality to match her larger than life smile. I thought a ‘confetti/sprinkles’ type party would suit her perfectly.

first-birthday-ideas

  1. Confetti Balloons are SO fun and I knew I had to try my hand at them for her party. I love the huge round balloons but those are pretty pricey so I thought I’d get more bang for my buck by using regular, clear balloons. Kristen wrote an awesome tutorial at KojoDesigns when she made them for her little girl’s party.
  2. Cake. Duh. Very important part of every party but especially a little girl’s first birthday party. I love the whimsical 1 on this birthday cake by Kristine at Kristine’s Kitchen. Her cake sounds phenomenal too but I think I’ll have enough stuff going on that I’ll probably buy a mix.
  3. I’m a big garland fanatic. I make a new garland for every party we have. I have a Sophia bunting that hangs over her crib that I’ll use somewhere but I also wanted to make some pompom garland that can go in her room once the party’s over! I just got a clover pompom maker and Tara at One Stylish Party has a great tutorial on how to use the pompom maker.
  4. Big Ole Welcome Wreath! I wanted to make a wreath that I could use every year for birthday parties. I thought this balloon wreath made by Erin at Just Two More Seconds screamed ‘birthday party and fun to be had inside!’
  5. Finally, I MUST show a year of photos of my baby girl. There will probably be a slide show or video playing but I thought this 1 display of photos shared by Emily at Babble was seriously cute. I only have about 3,000 photos to go through from this past year…nbd.

I’m just tickled to be thinking about celebrating our little girl with our immediate family and some of her favorite friends! I wanted her gift from us to be fairly small but meaningful and I’d seen Tamara post a personalized children’s book called The Little Girl Who Lost Her Name. She’s obviously too young to read this book but we can start reading it to her now  while she looks at the beautifully illustrated pages. What did you do for your child’s first birthdays? What did you learn from that party that you will remember for all future parties? Now I want cake.

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